Darth Vader vs Darth Maul
by Dark Reaper
Summary: Two of the greatest Sith Lords will be pitted against each other in a battle to the death.(Complete)


OK, I know that this has been done before (e.g. a comic book that was written on this subject, I know about this book and don't need to hear about it on the reviews page) but I'm going to do it again. I'm going to pit two of the most powerful Sith Lords against each other. It's a battle to the finish with the legendary Darth Vader fighting the ruthless Darth Maul. If you don't like the outcome of the battle then feel free to post a review in the forums (no flaming please, I've tried to be civilized and I hope that you will too).  
  
Before we begin we'll take an overview of each characters strengths and weaknesses.  
Darth Maul:  
-didn't even make it through the movie (and got himself killed by a rookie Jedi! how embarrassing)  
-has only 3 lines in the entire movie  
-only uses the force twice in the movie (one time to fling a piece of a droid into a door to open it and the other time to nock Obi-wan into the pit)  
-looks pretty cool with his whole face tattooed and his little horns sticking out of his cranium  
-has lots of agility and come on! he wields a double-lightsaber!  
-he takes on two Jedi at the same time and doesn't do too shabby (until he gets himself cut in half)  
Darth Vader:  
-he's slow compared to Darth Maul  
-his lightsaber duels were not the high-kicking action flicks that we see with Darth Maul  
- his lightsaber has only one blade  
-he survives for three whole movies!  
-he has really cool lines (e.g. "you have failed me for the last time commander" *commander starts choking on the screen before stiffening up and crumbling onto the floor in the fetal position; e.g. "apology accepted Captain Needa" *guards dragging away the captain's corpse)  
-compared with Darth Vader, Darth Maul looks like an amateur when it comes to using the force, I mean really, Darth Vader nearly defeated Luke without even lifting his lightsaber by bashing him with anything he could tear off the walls with the Force and hurl at his son  
-he could choke people to death using the Force (I do not know if Maul was capable of doing this but he's not getting the benefit of the doubt because watching Maul nearly choke Nuut Gunray to death for being insolent would have made the movie so much better)  
-Vader is much more intoned with the Force, he's sensing presences and events throughout the entire trilogy (Maul has to use droids to find a group of people in a small outpost city while Vader used his senses to track Luke halfway across the galaxy)  
  
  
  
Battle of the Sith  
  
The two huge metal doors on either side of the metal arena began to open. The seats were empty and the coliseum was cloaked in a semi-darkness that chilled the soul. It was as if the darkness was hungry and trying to break free from the bonds of the light, and doing a pretty good job of it as well. Only a silent figure draped in a black cloak sat above the arena on a huge throne inscribed with the ancient hieroglyphs of the Sith. The doors finished opening with a crash and hiss of machinery before falling silent. A man wearing black body armor and a fearsome mask walked out of the door to the right of the dark figure and turned to stare at him.  
"What am I doing here Master?" he asked the figure on the throne. The Emperor rose from his seat to address his servant, "I have designed a test for you Vader, to test your skill and loyalty." Darth Vader tilted his head as he was somewhat confused, "but I have proven these things on numerous occasions Master, why do you wish to test me again?" The Emperor's face darkened, "you dare question my motives my faithful servant? If you survive this test I may disclose my reasons for doing this to you, but until then you will respect my decision!" The Force rippled out from the Emperor and struck Darth Vader a painful blow that he staggered from. "I am sorry Master, please forgive me. I will face whatever test you have laid for me, and I will prevail." A cruel grin curled across the Emperor's face, "that is exactly what I wanted to hear Vader, now meet your rival."   
At this another figure walked out of the other door. It was cloaked in black to hide its features, but Vader did not need sight when he had the Dark Side. Like a dog that uses its sense of smell to find prey in the dark, Vader reached out with his mind to locate the identity of his opposition. As he trapped the figure in his tendrils of shadows, the man before him struck with his own mental attack, ripping away, Vader's assault. Vader turned to face the Emperor, his surprise hidden beneath the black mask but evident in his speech. "What is this Master? How is that this creature can use the Dark Side with such skill?" The Emperor answered by motioning to the figure. As the black cloak dropped away it revealed a humanoid alien with horns sprouting from its head. Its face was covered with red and black tattoos. It was the beings eyes, however, that sent a chill up Vader's spine, those red, piercing, and angry eyes. They were the exact opposite of the cold, ruthless visor that covered his own face. The Emperor spoke, "this is the incarnated spirit of an ancient Sith Lord known as Darth Maul. Like many Sith Lords before him, when Maul was killed his spirit could not dissipate into the Force but instead remained on this worlds plane, festering with anger and planning revenge. I was able to find this spirit and I brought it back in a reincarnated body. He is effectively just as alive as you or me now, and I am sure he does not wish to lose his newfound freedom." Vader replied, "what do you mean Master?" "I mean Vader, that to pass this test you must send Maul back to the pit that spawned him," the Emperor said with a cackle.   
The Emperor motioned to a control consul to his left and flicked up a switch. Immediately the bleachers that surrounded the already large amphitheater began to rise into the ceiling. The arena floor was now huge and had plenty of room to stage a lightsaber duel. Before it was finished Darth Maul struck full force, opening the twin beams of his lightsaber in midair as he fell towards Darth Vader. A lesser warrior might have panicked and would have been spitting on Maul's glowing quarterstaff, but Vader stood his ground and easily parried Maul's blow. At the same time he twisted around to cut Maul down from behind, but the second beam was there waiting for him and his attack was stopped. The two struck and parried and twisted and twirled about the arena floor, neither could gain the upper hand. Suddenly the Emperor motioned towards the control-consol and pressed a button with the Force. Immediately parts of the floor opened up to reveal several bottomless pits. Darth Maul just smiled, "I like a bit of a challenge, don't you old man?" he said as his smile changes to a sneer. "Did your master never teach you to respect your elders?" retorted Darth Vader. "No," said Maul, "he taught me to destroy those who were weaker than me." The duel continued in all its ferocity, but Vader was beginning to tire and the lithe form of Darth Maul did not appear to be slowing down. Maul began to push him back towards one of the pits. Vader was fighting a defensive war now, trying to reserve his strength. He blocked and parried all of Maul's best attacks, but he was still moving backwards until he stood on the very edge of the pit. Darth Maul came down hard on Vader's lightsaber, and their weapon's beams locked as each struggled to push the other away. Maul heaved up his shoulders, which brought Vader's beam up with it, leaving Vader's chest exposed. Maul pressed up his hand to Vader's chest and sent a Force wave into him, launching Darth Vader off of the precipice. Even then Vader did not panic, instead he twisted around and landed on the far wall of the pit feet first. He then sprung off of the wall with the help of the Dark Side and launched himself back up at Maul like a rocket. His attack was so quick and unexpected that Maul did not even have a chance to react before Darth Vader was standing behind him.   
"You missed old man," sneered Maul. "Did I?" replied Vader as he motioned towards the ground where one of Darth Maul's head spikes lay smoking. Maul reached up to his head and put his hand over the spot where the spike should have been. He let out one long snarl; "you will pay dearly for that Vader! You can't win; I can feel the spark of good in you just as the Emperor can. Why else do you think he'd test you, his most trustworthy servant? You are not worthy to serve the Dark Side or to be called a Sith!" Vader began to laugh, and this was not a happy giggle, no, it was the deep baritone laugh that had brought Imperial Admirals to their knees in fear. Darth Maul himself shrunk away from the power that Darth Vader was drawing from the Dark Side. Vader's rage had been awakened and now nothing was going to stop him from exacting his revenge on the pathetic worm that stood before him.  
"I doubt that you could even touch me worm! I also see that I've moved up from 'old man' to Vader," Darth Vader yelled at Maul. Darth Maul was seething with anger, but not even this could come close to matching the wrath of Vader. He hated Darth Maul, he hated being rivaled by a hotshot Sith who thought that a double-lightsaber would bring victory, and he hated the Emperor for putting him through this trial. Then at the back of his mind a new hatred began to form, he hated...hated...he realized that he hated himself! He became dizzy with this knowledge and almost lost control of the Dark Force storm he had conjured. He saw that indeed he did hate himself, or more accurately what he had become. This was impossible! He forced the thoughts from his mind just in time to stop Darth Maul's onslaught. Now Vader's superior experience and power in the Force came to play as he masterfully manipulated the Dark Side to do his bidding. There was nothing to pick up directly so Vader tore whole sheets of metal off the floor and sent these whirling discs at Darth Maul from all sides. Only through an agile jump and a lot of luck did Maul escape from being sliced into multiple sections.   
Vader then pressed his advantage, pushing Maul back towards the edge of the arena. Vader twirled around near the ground swiping for Maul's feet, but Maul leaped into the air. He spun his twin-lightsaber around, hopping to catch Vader by surprise. Vader was ready and launched the Force storm straight up into Darth Maul. Maul was caught in the main blast and was nearly hurled straight into the roof. He flipped around in mid air and rolled as he hit the ground, coming up very dizzy and with a massive headache. Vader rushed him in his weakened position. Darth Maul moved to block Darth Vader's lightsaber, but instead of attacking, Vader jumped up and used Maul's shoulder as a springboard to launch himself at the wall. Darth Maul turned around in time to see Vader flying back at him like he had done in the pit. Maul would not be tricked again; he moved to block him again. Vader flew past and Maul swung one of lightsaber blades directly into Vader's path. He could hear the ripping flesh and could smell the scent of burnt cloth; he smiled at the thought of the death soon to come. He turned to see Darth Vader rise from the ground where he had landed. He stared at Vader as the Dark Lord turned to face him. Darth Vader was clutching his side where Maul had left a long, deep slash with his lightsaber.   
"Looks like I win Vader! I told you that you couldn't beat me!" Vader smiled beneath his mask, "O really? Maybe you should check your sources fool!" Vader pointed at the ground beneath Maul that was covered in blood, and most of it was not Vader's. Maul stared at it and could feel himself getting sick. He remembered this feeling, the painful recognition of not being able to feel your own legs. He tried to speak but only coughed up blood. All he could do was glare and snarl at the dark figure walking towards him. With one last gasp his body went limp and fell to the ground in two pieces.  
Vader walked up to his vanquished opponent and stared hard at the body, "young fool, you have paid for your insolence." Darth Vader then turned away from the body to see the Emperor standing and clapping from his private box that remained suspended by metal wires over the arena so that he could see everything. "Excellent job my friend, you have proved yourself again. I now know that you loyalty and proficiency in battle have not flagged. Go and get yourself repaired and then report back to me so that we may continue discussing our plans to capture Skywalker." Darth Vader bowed before his Master, "I will do what you order Master."  
As Vader left the Emperor sat down on his throne with a sigh of frustration. The battle had done nothing except make Darth Vader aware of the spark of goodness still left within him. Palpatine did not know what to do, the future was clouded but he could still see grave consequences if Vader was allowed to continue down this path. He needed to keep him busy with thoughts of his son and how to best tempt, and to keep his thoughts away from himself. With a flick of his hand cleaning droids entered the arena to clean up the mess. With another wave of his hand his private box began lifting him up into the ceiling to his throne room. Even as he did, a dark plague of doubt descended on him and continued to torment him as he was lifted up into the shadows.   
  
  
-on a final note I would like to say that I do not claim the right to any of the characters used in this story, all of them are owned by George Lucas and Lucas Film 


End file.
